Mentor Program Preps Next Generation of County Leaders

One-on-one partnerships build rapport, expertise

Human Resources Director Donald Turko acts as a mentor to Public Safety Group CAO Staff Officer Michele Cummings.

Michele Cummings supervises one employee, but as her career progresses she knows that number could grow.

Cummings, who works as CAO Staff Officer for the Public Safety Group, wants to be prepared for the challenge when it comes.

She’s learning from an expert now, thanks to the County’s new Mentor Partnership Program. And both say the partnership has been tremendously rewarding.

Cummings is paired up with mentor Donald Turko, the County’s Human Resources Director. Started in February, the program is aimed at helping the County’s next generation of leaders and managers reach their career goals. In all, more than 180 employees are taking part in the program, which is the first of its kind at the County.

As Baby Boomers begin to retire in increasing numbers, including many County employees, the Mentor program will help ensure that a diverse, well qualified pool of internal candidates are ready to step into those roles, said Turko.

“We’re there to guide and help people who are at a point in their career where they have options and paths they can choose,” Turko said. He emphasized that mentors don’t make decisions for their mentees, but rather coach them, and help offer them different perspectives as they advance their careers.

At the heart of the program is the relationship that the mentor and mentee build, said Senior Human Resources Analyst Brian Borg. The program will also make sure the County is well poised for the future and that it “continues to have the seamless, quality leadership that we’ve had for years,” he said.

Demand was high for this first session, which ends in September.  Turko, who developed the program, said another session is already planned for next year.

“We were overwhelmed with not only the response but the embracing of the program by mentors, who were an untapped resource,” Turko said.

More than 90 mentors stepped forward to be part of the program. Each was paired with a mentee so that the two could work together on a one-on-one basis. Each pair must meet for at least four hours a month. Mentees also must complete classroom trainings, choosing from topics such as how to motivate employees or how an ethical workplace culture ties in with career success.

Pairs were matched based on their stated areas of strength and interest. Borg said the program teams up employees from different departments to avoid any potential favoritism. Mentors and mentees must not have “a direct reporting relationship,” he said.

Mentee Kenneth Stevens, a Departmental Technology Systems Specialist in the Auditor and Controller’s office, and his mentor, Martin Rigby, a Human Resources Services Manager, decided to focus in their twice-a-month meetings on building Stevens’ Organizational Acumen, or his awareness of one’s place in an organization and how his or her actions affect others.

Rigby and Stevens talk about different situations they’ve faced in their careers and about readings they’ve done. After discovering that both live in the East County suburb of Santee, Rigby suggested they take a trip to Santee City Hall to attend a City Council meeting. His idea was to observe another local government’s culture by watching the way top officials interact with each other and with the public. Rigby wanted Stevens to compare the culture in Santee to that of the County.

The experience prompted a “really long discussion” about Santee city officials’ communication and presentation styles, the way the meeting was organized and how it all compared with the County.

The two said they feel comfortable talking with each other and plan to stay in touch even after the program ends. Stevens said he has learned, among other things, to plan ahead more when it comes to his career.

“I look more to the future and how I will get into future jobs,” he said. “What (will) I need to learn?”

Turko and Cummings tackle topics like how best to lead and motivate people. One of the biggest benefits for her has been recognizing what makes a great leader, not just a great manager, and striving to emulate those qualities. She’s been able to observe Turko’s management style and bounce ideas off of him for how to handle specific projects. She’s met other upper level managers, too, and been able to ask them about their career paths.

“It has established a formal structure to have those interactions,” Cummings said. “Otherwise, you may have never met.”

Turko said the experience has been hugely rewarding for him as well.

“I’ve felt a tremendous satisfaction in giving back to my profession,” he said. “There’s an incredible satisfaction that you’re helping a person on their journey to explore their personal and professional limits.”